McGrady files for re-election to NC House

From staff reports

Published: Friday, February 21, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 21, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.

Rep. Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) filed Friday for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives in District 117, the district that takes in most of Henderson County, including Hendersonville, Fletcher, Laurel Park and Mills River.

McGrady has served in the General Assembly since 2011, and was a Henderson County commissioner and a Flat Rock Village Council member prior to his election to the House.

McGrady ran a summer camp for boys, Falling Creek Camp, in Green River from 1989 until 2005. He is married to Jean McGrady, and they have two children, Steve and Lisa.

“It has been an honor to represent most of Henderson County in the legislature. I’m running because there is still unfinished work, and I’m in a position to really deliver on some important issues,” McGrady said in a news release.

He is a co-chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, where he will play an important role in teacher compensation issues, assuming Republicans remain in control of the House.

Just this past week with the coal ash spill on the Dan River, McGrady’s expertise on environmental protection issues put him squarely in the middle of the debate about an important state issue--how to address the problem of coal ash ponds. He and Sen. Tom Apodaca announced that they would push legislation closing the ponds to protect drinking water supplies.

While working on issues of statewide importance, McGrady has remained focused on what is important to Henderson County. He was part of a team effort to bring Sierra Nevada to Henderson County and drafted the legislation that created DuPont State Recreational Forest.

“I’m most proud that I’ve been able to be a leader on issues important to local governments. I chair the County Caucus, a joint caucus of senators and representatives interested in issues affecting counties, and I’m leading the effort to ensure that local governments will still have the authority to enact environmental ordinances,” McGrady said in the release.

McGrady thinks there could be substantial progress in completing cleanup of the old DuPont plant that is an inholding within DuPont State Recreational Forest, and he wants to continue his work to fund acquisition of land for the new Headwaters State Forest in Transylvania County.

McGrady helped lead the successful push for tort and medical malpractice reform in his first term and was one of the leaders of the successful effort to pass the NC Farm Act of 2013 this past year. “If re-elected, I expect to play a leading role on issues ranging from teacher pay to school calendar to coal ash and regulatory reform," he said.

After qualifying, McGrady launched a new website, www.chuckmcgrady.com, that provides information on his record and his positions on important issues. It also will serve as a way for supporters to volunteer to work on or contribute to the campaign. People can use the website to ask him questions about his record or his policy positions.

McGrady also has a legislative website, www.nchouse117.com, that provides a broad view of what is happening at the state legislature. He is available on Facebook , www.facebook.com/chuckmcgrady.nchouse117, and on Twitter @ChuckMcGrady and regularly live-tweets meetings like the recent Environmental Review Commission hearing on the Dan River coal ash spill so that constituents can keep abreast of breaking news.

McGrady regularly publishes a legislative newsletter, and anyone can subscribe to the newsletter by sending a message to him at Chuck@ChuckMcGrady.com.

<p>Rep. Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) filed Friday for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives in District 117, the district that takes in most of Henderson County, including Hendersonville, Fletcher, Laurel Park and Mills River. </p><p>McGrady has served in the General Assembly since 2011, and was a Henderson County commissioner and a Flat Rock Village Council member prior to his election to the House.</p><p>McGrady ran a summer camp for boys, Falling Creek Camp, in Green River from 1989 until 2005. He is married to Jean McGrady, and they have two children, Steve and Lisa.</p><p>“It has been an honor to represent most of Henderson County in the legislature. I'm running because there is still unfinished work, and I'm in a position to really deliver on some important issues,” McGrady said in a news release. </p><p>He is a co-chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, where he will play an important role in teacher compensation issues, assuming Republicans remain in control of the House. </p><p>Just this past week with the coal ash spill on the Dan River, McGrady's expertise on environmental protection issues put him squarely in the middle of the debate about an important state issue--how to address the problem of coal ash ponds. He and Sen. Tom Apodaca announced that they would push legislation closing the ponds to protect drinking water supplies.</p><p>While working on issues of statewide importance, McGrady has remained focused on what is important to Henderson County. He was part of a team effort to bring Sierra Nevada to Henderson County and drafted the legislation that created DuPont State Recreational Forest. </p><p>“I'm most proud that I've been able to be a leader on issues important to local governments. I chair the County Caucus, a joint caucus of senators and representatives interested in issues affecting counties, and I'm leading the effort to ensure that local governments will still have the authority to enact environmental ordinances,” McGrady said in the release. </p><p>McGrady thinks there could be substantial progress in completing cleanup of the old DuPont plant that is an inholding within DuPont State Recreational Forest, and he wants to continue his work to fund acquisition of land for the new Headwaters State Forest in Transylvania County.</p><p>McGrady helped lead the successful push for tort and medical malpractice reform in his first term and was one of the leaders of the successful effort to pass the NC Farm Act of 2013 this past year. “If re-elected, I expect to play a leading role on issues ranging from teacher pay to school calendar to coal ash and regulatory reform," he said. </p><p>After qualifying, McGrady launched a new website, www.chuckmcgrady.com, that provides information on his record and his positions on important issues. It also will serve as a way for supporters to volunteer to work on or contribute to the campaign. People can use the website to ask him questions about his record or his policy positions.</p><p>McGrady also has a legislative website, www.nchouse117.com, that provides a broad view of what is happening at the state legislature. He is available on Facebook , www.facebook.com/chuckmcgrady.nchouse117, and on Twitter @ChuckMcGrady and regularly live-tweets meetings like the recent Environmental Review Commission hearing on the Dan River coal ash spill so that constituents can keep abreast of breaking news. </p><p>McGrady regularly publishes a legislative newsletter, and anyone can subscribe to the newsletter by sending a message to him at Chuck@ChuckMcGrady.com.</p>